SPOKANE (May 11) -- Central Washington University senior
Jake Hammons (Snohomish) has been unanimously voted to the 2010 Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball all-conference first team, highlighting the Wildcats' selections to the squad that was released Tuesday by the conference office.
A total of six CWU players earned all-GNAC recognition, with three second-team honorees and two honorable mention selections joining Hammons on the squad.
Hammons was a unanimous choice as the top catcher in the conference, leading Central Washington in hitting at .349 while also ranking first on the squad with 33 runs batted in. Defensively, he posted a .984 fielding percentage as a catcher with just three errors in 186 chances and threw out 15 of 32 would-be base-stealers on the season.
In addition to his time behind the plate, Hammons also made six pitching appearances, including five (with four starts) in the final month of the season. He finished with a 2-2 record and 4.13 earned-run average in 28 1/3 innings.
Receiving second-team all-league honors this season were seniors
Kevin Walkenhauer (Yakima/West Valley HS),
Anthony Sanelli (Carnation/Issaquah HS), and
Ricky McKinney (Aberdeen).
Walkenhauer earned second-team selection for the second time in his career, this season as a utility player. He played second base, shortstop, pitcher, and left field over the course of the season and finished with a .316 batting average and a team-high 15 doubles. As a pitcher, he had a 3-3 record and ranked second on the Wildcats with a 5.93 ERA.
McKinney and Sanelli were both chosen as outfielders. Both players missed nearly a month of the season due to injuries, but batted .348 and .322, respectively. McKinney split time between center and right field and finished the season as Central's team leader with 33 runs scored, while Sanelli was an everyday player in left field until suffering a season-ending injury on Apr. 16. He struck out just five times in 90 official at-bats on the season, one of the toughest-to-strikeout ratios in the GNAC.
Central's honorable mention selections were senior third baseman
Kevin Schneider (Spokane/Mead HS) and junior
Chance Plutt (Dillon, Mont./Beaverhead County HS).
The Wildcats finished the 2010 season tied for fourth place in the GNAC standings with an 8-24 conference record (14-36 overall).
2010 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE BASEBALL TEAM
Player of the Year: Kyle Boe, Sr., Western Oregon
Pitcher of the Year: Jacob Pettit, Sr., Western Oregon
Newcomer of the Year: Daniel Dillard, Jr., Western Oregon
Freshman of the Year: Zeb Sneed, Northwest Nazarene
Coach of the Year: Jeremiah Robbins, Western Oregon
FIRST TEAM
Pitcher: +*Blake Keitzman, Western Oregon (5-11, 180, Sr., Roseburg, Ore.); +*Jacob Pettit, Western Oregon (6-3, 190, Sr., Orting); +*Michael Ward, Western Oregon (6-4, 230, Jr., Eugene, Ore.); Jesse Gwaltney, Northwest Nazarene (5-11, 200, Jr., Vancouver).
Relief Pitcher: Kalen Hruza, Northwest Nazarene (6-0, 206, Jr., Caldwell, Idaho).
Catcher: +Jake Hammons, CWU (5-11, 185, Sr., Snohomish). First Base: *+Jon Keller, Northwest Nazarene (6-1, 200, Sr., Eugene, Ore.).
Second Base: +Grant Glover, Western Oregon (5-9, 170, Jr., McMinnville, Ore.).
Shortstop: *Cesar Lopez, Western Oregon (5-10, 185, Sr., Walla Walla).
Third Base: +Kyle Boe, Western Oregon (6-2, 210, Sr., Burlington).
Infielder: Travis Jones, Saint Martin’s (5-10, 220, So., Mililani, Hawaii).
Designated Hitter/Utility: Outfield: +*Jason Moseby, Western Oregon (6-3, 195, Sr., Bellevue). +Daniel Dillard, Western Oregon (6-3, 200, Jr., Olalla); +Sean McDonald, Northwest Nazarene (5-9, 165, So., Boise, Idaho); Devon Bouvier, Western Oregon (6-2, 205, Sr., Kennewick); Andrew Elke, Saint Martin’s (5-7, 160, Jr., St. Charles, Ill.).
*Repeater (Lopez and Ward from 2008) +Unanimous.
SECOND TEAM
Pitcher: Kody Kennedy, Montana State Billings (5-10, 175, Jr., Butte, Mont.); Michael McIver, Saint Martin’s (6-10, 235, Jr., Olympia); James Douglas, Saint Martin’s (6-0, 190, Jr., Rochester).
Relief Pitcher: Kirk Lind, Western Oregon (5-11, 215, So., Vancouver).
Catcher: Garrett Breda, Western Oregon (5-10, 175, Sr., Bothell).
First Base: Greg Christensen, Northwest Nazarene (5-9, 215, Sr., Rupert, Idaho).
Second Base: Brian Dukart, Montana State Billings (5-9, 170, Sr., Nine Mile Falls); Ryan VanBeek, Northwest Nazarene (5-11, 220, Jr., Yakima).
Shortstop: Cameron Louie, Northwest Nazarene (5-9, 165, Jr., Boise, Idaho).
Third Base: Josh Grenier, Saint Martin’s (5-10, 180, So., Tumwater).
Designated Hitter/Utility: Kevin Walkenhauer, CWU (6-1, 175, Sr., Yakima). Outfield: Ty Windall, Northwest Nazarene (5-8, 155, Jr., Davis, Calif.);
Anthony Sanelli, CWU (5-10, 175, Sr., Carnation);
Ricky McKinney, CWU (6-1, 200, Sr., Aberdeen).
HONORABLE MENTION
Pitcher: J.T. Brodrick (6-6, 205, Jr., Casper, Wyo.).
Catcher: Connor Rankin, Northwest Nazarene (6-2, 220, Sr., Lake Forest Park); Luke Abbott, Saint Martin’s (6-0, 230, Sr., Winlock).
First Base: Cody Reeves, Western Oregon (5-10, 170, Sr., Nine Mile Falls).
Shortstop: Matt Schoonover, Montana State Billings (5-11, 185, Sr., Great Falls, Mont.).
Third Base: Jaret Chatwood, Montana State Billings (5-10, 175, Jr., Red Deer, Alberta); Joel Oliver (6-0, 215, Sr., Menifee, Calif.);
Kevin Schneider, CWU (5-11, 190, Sr., Spokane).
Designated Hitter/Utility: Jordan Kessler, Montana State Billings (5-9, 180, Jr., Broomfield, Colo.); Michael McIver, Saint Martin’s (6-10, 235, Jr., Olympia).
Outfield: Chris Round, Montana State Billings (6-1, 210, Sr., Billings, Mont.);
Chance Plutt, CWU (5-11, 195, Jr., Dillon, Mont.).